


Five Scenes: Lance

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Character Study, short scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 11:27:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3648615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance has had many experiences and met many people over the years. A few stick out in his memory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Scenes: Lance

~ 1 ~

His office at the Indigo League Headquarters is spartan, lit only where necessary. This quiet, soothing space helps him to think, and focus on the one part of his job that most overlook. Being a Champion isn’t all battling trainers, testing their skills, dispensing advice and encouragement. A large part of his job is actually paperwork.

Lance has been known to sit up until late at night, going through reports submitted from Gym Leaders across Johto and Kanto, from the Elite Four, and from the police. It is his task to keep a watchful eye on the up and coming trainers, to be aware of the surprisingly mundane details of Gym administration, to read up on the pet projects of the various Pokemon Professors and their protégés. He is also expected to swiftly deal with any trouble that arises, whether that trouble is a trainer mistreating the Pokemon in their care, or the resurgence of Team Rocket, or worse.

He knows that when he is in the office, its full legal authority is behind him. He may, at times, have to be stern – but he’s also aware that his position can be intimidating.

When there is a knock at his door, Lance calls back, “enter!”

Sometimes, he feels for all the world like the headmaster of a school when he says that.

Officer Jenny of the Kanto Police Department has come to visit with a request. Lance gets to his feet, greeting her warmly, and gesturing with an upraised palm to a chair. He closes the door to keep their discussion confidential, and asks, “how can I help?”

 

~2~

After a lengthy investigation, and an even more lengthy trial, the man behind Team Rocket – a Gym Leader gone sour, a father who walked out on his son – is finally behind bars. Having heard the request of this man’s son, Lance stands outside the visitor room at the prison. It’s a grim place, but Giovanni had to have known what he was getting himself into.

The boy – Silver – has grown and mellowed slightly over a couple of years, his sharper edges wearing down as he bonded with his own team of Pokemon. It’s strange and yet… reassuring that his inauspicious start as a Pokemon trainer has led him to evolving his team through friendship. At times, it seems as if that friendship has helped Silver to evolve too.

None of that seems evident at all in the stream of curses Silver hurls at Giovanni. Lance pretends not to hear. He is hardly surprised by the boy’s strong feelings – Giovanni abandoned him, and for what? To end up in a jail cell?

To his credit – Lance doesn’t want to think that way, but he has to admit that it’s something at least – Giovanni doesn’t argue. This crooked man just sits there and takes it, soaks up the abuse like a sponge. It’s eerie, actually, how calm the former Team Rocket boss is, but Lance knows full well that Giovanni has no defence for his actions. Silver’s harsh words are, he supposes, what Giovanni deserves and needs to hear.

When Silver finally emerges, Lance doesn’t comment on what was said. He doesn’t ask how it went. For Silver’s sake, he ignores the fact that the boy is red in the face, his eyes slightly puffy from tears. He knows that speaking of these things will simply grate on already raw nerves. Silver never liked being seen as vulnerable.

Lance simply nods when Silver tells him, “Let’s get out of here”.

He pretends not to notice when Silver briefly looks back at his father being led away in chains.

 

~3~

Over the years, going from being a trainer, to the Elite Four, to Champion, Lance has seen a lot. Some say he might even has “seen it all” (although Lance will chuckle and tell you that’s not quite true). As such, he’s developed a knack for seeming almost unflappable.

The times, as an adult, when he has been truly terrified have been few and far between.

Watching Groudon and Kyogre battling, led by Team Aqua’s leader and a tiny Pikachu, qualifies as one of those times.

For one, these primal beasts are capable of reforming the land and waters around them. That’s frightening alone. Forcing it to happen for the ends of a small group of humans takes that fear to a higher level: people could get hurt, or worse, killed by the processes at work. Lava flows, landslides, tsunami, storms…

Then there’s the matter of that tiny little Pikachu. Lance knows that Pikachu. That Pikachu is someone’s friend. Yet it is standing atop Groudon’s head, growling and screeching, its eyes glowing a menacing shade of red. Such a little creature in command of a mighty Pokemon is another sight Lance thought he would never see.

There’s also the boy. Lance isn’t even entirely sure he wants to know how Ash got involved, let alone why he was there in the first place. (Somehow, it seems like every time there’s trouble, Ash and his friends are in the middle of it. He hears things, even back at the Indigo League, about the kid’s “adventures”. The boy and his friends seem to be magnets for trouble…) Ash is worried sick about Pikachu. Lance is only too aware of that. The kid tries not to show his fear – he vents it as anger instead. Lance nearly got his head bitten off earlier that day upon finding Ash in the cargo room. To be fair, Lance had been in disguise – and given the circumstances, he doesn’t blame the boy for his reaction.

Lance is also aware that he’s one of the adults that Ash trusts most. He offered up reassurance, and the boy’s expression of rage was quickly replaced by surprise, and then relief. He had kneeled to be on eye level as Ash confessed that something had happened to Pikachu – somehow, an orb of some kind had bonded with the Pokemon, making Pikachu explosively violent. Frightening enough for anyone – terrifying for this young trainer.

The boy needed calm, then – to know that all would be well. A hand on the shoulder, a few words of encouragement, helped that along a little.

Still, the sheer terror of a tiny Pikachu in command of a giant Groudon sends shivers up Lance’s spine. It takes a while for the realization to dawn: Pikachu is trying to help settle the conflict of these awakened primeval creatures.

Working with Ash and his friends, calm prevails. The orbs release those with whom they had bonded. The Team Aqua leader remembers absolutely nothing. Pikachu seems to make a speedy recovery.

To this day, Lance thinks of that as one of those times when he was genuinely afraid.

The first time he met the boy trainer was another.

 

~4~

He couldn’t help the feeling that all of this was familiar somehow. It wasn’t every day a shiny Gyarados showed up, and yet… Lance couldn’t quite pin it down. The creature’s terror and anger were palpable as it thrashed around in the lake, blasting nearby buildings, creatures, and trees with beams of intense energy.

As he had long come to expect from these kinds of situations, Team Rocket was involved. Just earlier, Lance had rescued a young boy and his friends – Ash, the kid called himself – from one of their grunts.

The boy had begged to be allowed to help. Lance had been stern and firm: if anything happened, he couldn’t take responsibility for the boy, his friends, or their Pokemon. Yet, somewhere along the lines, the trio had found their way into trouble. Seeing them captured by Team Rocket, something cold formed in the base of Lance’s stomach, spreading through him. A few seconds later, it was overtaken by the heat of anger, a feeling dampened only by his disappointment. The kids had elected to disobey and ignore him. Being captured was the natural consequence.

Lance also knew that, despite his earlier words, he would have to step up and take responsibility, removing them from the situation if possible.

Even Lyra had been more competent, he thought, as the memory finally surfaced. That was why it had all been so familiar. A previous attempt at rushing Pokemon to evolve had been foiled by a girl just slightly older than Ash. She had easily calmed the Gyarados back then, and fought alongside Lance as they had investigated. Lyra had even sweet-talked a corvid-like Pokemon into providing them with passwords.

This boy, though… He wore his heart on his sleeve, and while his gym badges were evidence of his travels… Lance shook his head. Their lack of experience still showed.

He later found out that somehow, the three managed to trick Team Rocket into releasing them. They were apologetic when Lance had called them on their disobedience. When Ash had bailed out of the car upon spotting Gyarados, Lance realized that the boy’s headstrong nature drove him more than actual thought on his experiences. He had called after him, but it was too late.

Lance called forth Dragonite while Ash tried to chase after the Gyarados. Up ahead, the river froze just as Gyarados was about to attack the boy. They were close to Mahogany Town. Had Pryce come to help?

Unable to go much further, the Gyarados turned back, and Dragonite prepared to face the creature.

Sometimes, a battle is the only way to work through a Pokemon’s fear and anger. Encouraging words only go so far.

There was also Lance’s own fear and anger: fear for the boy’s life; for the safety of the locals; anger at Team Rocket; that a situation like this could happen…

When at last, that anger and fear – and the Gyarados itself – had been exhausted, Lance tossed a Pokeball. Ash seemed sick with worry – what would happen to the Pokemon now?

His own mind clear, Lance had noted the anxious look in the boy’s eyes. The boy truly cared, even if he had inadvertently put himself and his friends in danger. After everything they had been through, Lance supposed, to lecture them would just make things worse. His example mattered more.

So it was that he confirmed to Ash that the Pokemon would be well looked after – Lance would look after the Gyarados.

Many years later, when they met again, Ash would see that Lance had stayed true to his word, and that the Gyarados had become an important part of the Champion’s team.

 

~5~

Lyra didn’t want the office and mantle of running the Indigo League. Lance hadn’t blamed her one bit: she was still young, still needed to see what else was out there. Even if she is the Champion, Lance doesn’t mind retaining his office and job. The League rules indicate that it is entirely possible for the office of the League Chair and the Champion role to be two separate things. So it is that Lance allows Lyra her freedom to continue training, to travel and make more friends, to learn about the world around her.

Now and then, he receives reports of her progress – gym paperwork relating to her achievement of badges, academic papers with her name on the front cover as a contributor alongside Professors Elm and Oak, submitted testimony for the trials of certain Team Rocket members…

Lyra occasionally shows up at the headquarters to face a challenger. She still has her Feraligatr. From Professor Oak, she has a Venusaur. She also has a Blaziken, given to her by Hoenn’s Champion and League Chair, Steven Stone. The Dratini that Lance’s grandfather gave to her in Blackthorne has grown into a Dragonite. Also on her team are an Espeon and a Machoke. Her choices make her a difficult opponent, as one must carefully consider their own team if they wish to face her.

Eventually, Lyra passes her mantle to someone else. Having watched her grow over the years, Lance privately admits to some sadness when she tells him – but of course, he understands. The role of Champion can be wearing, as well as somewhat limiting. So, he allows Lyra her freedom once more.

Lyra still writes to Lance to let him know what she’s up to, as she travels across Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos, and far beyond. Lance reads them and smiles, reflecting that so long as there are trainers like her in the world, things can only get better for Pokemon and humans alike.

**END**

 

**Author's Note:**

> The Pokemon I chose for Lyra's team are based upon the various 'mons that the player is given over the course of HG/SS -- from Elm at the start, evolved versions of the Machop from Goldenrod and the Eevee from Bill, from Oak and Stone post-Elite Four, and the Dratini from Dragon's Den in Mahogany City.


End file.
